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Falkirk Wheel

2002 establishments in Scotland2002 in ScotlandBoat liftsBuildings and structures celebrating the third millenniumBuildings and structures in Falkirk
Canals in ScotlandLocks of ScotlandScottish CanalsTourist attractions in Falkirk (council area)Transport infrastructure completed in 2002Use British English from January 2017
FalkirkWheelSide 2004 SeanMcClean
FalkirkWheelSide 2004 SeanMcClean

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project. The plan to regenerate central Scotland's canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight. The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom, the other being the Anderton Boat Lift.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Falkirk Wheel (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Falkirk Wheel
Forth and Clyde Canal Towpath,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 56.000277777778 ° E -3.8416666666667 °
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Falkirk Wheel

Forth and Clyde Canal Towpath
FK1 4LS , Tamfourhill
Scotland, United Kingdom
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FalkirkWheelSide 2004 SeanMcClean
FalkirkWheelSide 2004 SeanMcClean
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Larbert
Larbert

Larbert (Scottish Gaelic: Leth-Pheairt, Scots: Lairbert) is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is three miles (five kilometres) from the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and 2+1⁄2 miles (4 kilometres) northwest of Falkirk. Stenhousemuir lies directly east of Larbert, with both settlements being contiguous and sharing certain public amenities with one another.In medieval times, the Larbert area was heavily forested, but this was cleared and gave rise to much of the agricultural land which surrounds the town. The coming of industry and especially the arrival in the 1840s of the Scottish Central Railway, which passes through the village, provided a base for economic growth. From the late 18th century until the mid-20th century heavy industry, such as boilermaking, casting and manufacturing underpinned the economy of Larbert. The Victorian era also saw the opening of the Stirling District Lunatic Asylum at Bellsdyke and Scottish National Institution for Children on the Stenhouse Estate. This made Larbert central in providing care, both locally and nationally.Although the traditional economic base of Larbert dwindled with the decline of heavy industry, it has latterly experienced considerable growth as a commuter town. Many residents work in the nearby towns of Falkirk and Stirling, as well as the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Scotland's Census of 2011 reveals that the population of Larbert has increased to 9,143 from the 2001 Census figure of 6,425 and it continues to grow with large-scale housing development on the northern periphery of the town as well as on brownfield sites.